


Past, Present & Future

by TheRookBook



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: Dreams, It’s all okay y’all don’t fret, hurt!Tim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:41:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29845116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRookBook/pseuds/TheRookBook
Summary: After getting hurt in the line of duty, Tim must fight to stay alive. With a little help from the ghosts of the past, present & future, Tim realizes a few things he needs to get closure on and a few things he wants.
Relationships: Isabel Bradford/Tim Bradford, Tim Bradford & Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 10
Kudos: 78





	Past, Present & Future

**Author's Note:**

> Ay O! Welcome back! It’s been a minute. 
> 
> Still not beta’d. 
> 
> I’m on tumblr @therookiebook! 
> 
> *I don’t own the show or characters. Only the idea of this fic*

The light before him was brighter than anything he had ever seen. It was beautiful, in an odd sense, it was just a blank canvas where anything he could imagine could appear before his eyes. Tim closed his eyes for just a second only to find the beautiful blankness gone when he opened them again. Replacing it was the green grass of the park down the street from his house. A woman sat on a blanket facing away from him. She was leaned back her arms propping her up. The gentle breeze ran through her blonde hair causing it to blow in her face until she tucked it behind her ear.

Tim glanced around the park. Only trees, bushes, and a playground off in the distance filled his vision. The space around them void of any other human life. The only sound he could hear was the slight rustling of leaves in the tree. No cars cruised up and down the abandoned streets. It was peaceful, it was nearly like what he imagined heaven would be like.

Curiosity took over him as he started towards the woman facing away from him. He had seen her before, it was just difficult to put his finger on where. Only when he got close enough did he realize how she was. “Isabel,” he asked, confusion heavy in his voice as he approached the spread-out blanket.

The woman on the ground peeled her eyes off the grass in front of her before looking over her shoulder at him. “Tim,” she said turning her head back towards the front. “It’s about time.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Isabel patted the spot on the blanket beside her. Her eyes stayed cast out front of her as she did so. Tim situated himself beside her. His legs stretched out beside hers. Tim turned to look at her as she continued to look away from him.

She looked beautiful, he told himself. She looked better than the last time he had seen her at the rehab facility. Almost as if the needles full of drugs never pierced her skin injecting that poison into her system. He couldn’t help himself from remember all the reasons he fell in love with her. Her smile. Her personality. Her laughter. Just everything that made her, her.

Tim reached over and tucked a loose piece of hair back behind her ear. It felt natural yet weird at the same time. Being with her felt like he had found a missing piece of his puzzle all over again.

“You shouldn’t do that, Tim,” she said looking over at him. “That’s not why we’re here.”

“Where are we?”

“Do you remember that day we went down to the park and had a picnic? You took the football and threw it with some random kids. It was a rare off day we had together. There were no assignments, no being on call. It was just the two of us before everything happened,” she recalled painting the picture for him. “We took that photo that sat on the bookshelf. We were so happy back then.”

Tim nodded beside her, his own memories of the day rushing to the surface. It seemed to be their last good day together before shit it the fan. It seemed like a lifetime ago now, but in reality, it was just a handful of years ago. “Yeah,” he said softly.

“Would you go back to that day if you could? If we could change the past and still be us, would you?”

Tim looked away from her. His focus shifting to the grass in front of them as he pondered her question. If she had asked him that a few years ago, he would have said yes. Several times, he wished he could turn back the clock. He would have noticed that she was hooked on the drugs before it was too late. He would have gotten her the help she needed before she spiraled out of control. There were several instances where he longed for her to come home. He had spent a whole year waiting for her to come home and she never did.

Now, he was happy. For the first time in a long time, he was generally happy. He woke up in the mornings, his arms wrapped around his wife. Her back pressed against his front as they slept in the middle of the bed. She was the one that made him whole again. She made him care for her even when he didn’t want to. It was just something about her that made him feel right again. Never did he think that she would be one that fixed him again.

“No,” he admitted softly.

A sad smile pulled at Isabel’s mouth as she looked over at him. “That’s what I thought. I can’t say I blame you either. I never thought about how everything would affect you. I’m sorry for putting you through all that. I’m sorry that I hurt you, Tim.”

Tim stayed silent letting her apology fully wash over him. It felt good to hear her say those words. The smallest of phrases lifted the overbearing weight off of his shoulders that he had been carrying for years. “Isabel, where are we, and why are we here?”

“We’re in your dream, Tim,” she informed him briefly. “As for why we are here…that’s up to you,” she said with a shrug.

“What? What does that even mean?”

“Well, we can stay here. Enjoy the time that we have left together. Remember all the good times we had and not think about how everything went wrong. Until it all fades away,” she said swallowing heavily. “Or you can go back. Fight like I know you want to. Get back to her cause she needs a lot more than I do. You have a good thing going, Tim. Don’t give up.”

His brows furrowed as he looked at her. His mouth hung open a bit as he blinked at her. “Go back where? What are you talking about Bel?”

Isabel couldn’t stop the grin from crossing her face as she looked at the confusion on his face. “Just relax. Breath and let yourself drift away. You can’t stay here.”

“Can’t stay here? Isabel, what are you talking--,” he stopped with a gasp. Fire exploded in his torso. A burning trail ran from his head to his toes. His breath was caught in his throat at the sudden explosion. “Fuck,” he muttered as the wave slowly started to fade away. “What the hell was that,” he asked with strained breaths.

Isabel moved to her knees. Her hand pushed against his shoulder forcing Tim to lay down fully. “It’s going to be okay. Just breath,” she said as another wave crashed over him. Isabel waited a moment before he came back. His eyes finally opening again after a minute of being scrunched together. “Breath Tim. Just breath.”

“Isabel…wha—what’s happening,” he asked through clenched teeth.

“It’s okay, Tim,” she said with a grin leaning over him. “Just breath and everything is going to be okay.”

The fire erupting in his side and coursing through his veins roared its ugly head again. “Help me,” he gasped, his hand gripping her arm holding on to dear life itself. “Isabel, help. Please.”

“I can’t. It’s going to be okay. Just breath. Relax and breath.”

The wildfire against his skin roared again. His gasps becoming consistent as he fought to bring air into his lungs. His hand stayed gripping her arm, but Isabel ignored it like she was not real at all. “Hel—help me,” he barely whispered before he gave way to the pain. Tim’s limp hand fell to his side. He looked over to where Isabel was supposed to be, only to find the space empty.

“Where? Wha--,” he barely managed to get out before his eyes slid closed. Darkness was inviting, it was where peace could be found. The pain slowly drifted away as he slipped further and further into the deep depths of nothingness. Rest, he told himself, you need to rest.

_Hang on, Tim. Fight for me._

Tim jerked awake the second time. Sweat droplets ran down his forehead as he gasped to control his breathing. His heart pounded in his chest as his eyes bounced around the room trying to get some sense of reality. It felt like home, he had to be home.

Movement beside him in the bed caused Tim’s head to snap towards it. A woman laid peaceful beside him completely unaware of the nightmare that he just woke up from. Her brown hair fell to cover her face partially covering her face as she slept blissfully.

A huff of air ran from his lungs as he continued to look down at her. His racing heart mellowed out as the initial surprise faded. Tim shuffled for a moment trying to get comfortable once again before he laid back against the mattress. The woman in the bed shifted again after Tim laid down, her arm draping across his stomach as she pressed herself close against him.

“You okay,” she asked, her words muffled against his skin.

“Yeah, Luce. Just a bad dream,” he answered, his hand gently brushing her hair out of the way.

“You need to talk about it,” she asked picking her head up just enough to look at him.

“No,” Tim replied shaking his head against the pillow. “It’s fine, Lucy. I promise,” he reassured. He could feel the vibrations of her hum as she laid her head on his shoulder like she did every night. Tim’s hand moved to her bareback, his fingertips trailed slowly up and down her skin.

“Tim?”

“Yeah Luce?”

A moment of silence followed before Lucy spoke again. He felt her gulp against him as if she was swallowing nerves that were building each passing second. “Promise me that you won’t leave me,” she said softly.

Tim’s brows furrowed; his eyes cast towards the ceiling. “What are you talking about?”

Lucy forced herself up. One hand on his chest, the other in the sheets as she propped herself up to look down at him. “Promise me you won’t leave me.”

It was Tim’s turn to swallow as he saw the horror in her eyes from just the thought of that happening. “I won’t, Luce. I promise. I won’t leave you,” he promised softly.

“And you’ll fight for me.”

“Lucy, what are you…do you need to talk about something?”

“Just fight for me. Don’t give up. Fight,” she said with tears pooling in her eyes.

Tim nodded his head against the pillow. “Okay. I won’t give up,” he promised as exhaustion crashed into his body. He fought to keep his eyes open as he looked up at her. “I promise,” he barely managed to mumble before he was no longer able to force his eyes open and darkness claimed him once again.

_Tim Bradford, you better not give up. Fight, you don’t get to leave us._

He could feel the sun on his face, his toes buried in the warm sand. He could hear the waves of the ocean crashing in the near distance. Seagulls called as they flew overhead waiting for a left-over crumb or small unsuspecting fish near the water’s surface. A gentle breeze brushed against his skin mixing with the perfect LA weather.

This is why he never left this place. There were plenty of opportunities when he could have left. He could have left with the military or Rachel when she left, but there was no place like home. He always came back, there was no way he could stay away. He loved the ocean. He loved the mystery of the water and everything the lived beneath it. It was peaceful. It offered a place for him to let go of his worries and just enjoy the sun and waves.

The sun’s bright rays blinded him when he opened his eyes for the third time. White foam from the ocean slid across the blue water as it rolled onto the sand before retreating back. Only a few puffy clouds littered the sky leaving the blue sky mostly clear.

Someone cleared their throat beside him causing Tim to look over. “Lucy,” he asked unable to hide the disbelief in his tone. “What’s going on?”

Lucy smiled brightly at him. “We’re almost done.”

“Done with what?”

“You’ll find out. Just relax.” Tim eyed her suspiciously for a moment trying to get his thoughts to connected but he was drawing blanks from every direction. Still confused, Tim sat back against the mesh of his beach chair. “We have plans, Tim,” she told after a long silence breaking the sound of the waves hitting the shore. “Plans for us. Plans for a family. Great big plans.” Tim started to open his mouth to reply when Lucy started again. “Don’t talk, she instructed him. “Just listen and relax.”

Tim did as she said. His eyes closed and he let himself relax back into the chair. The sound of waves crashing to the shore was replaced with innocent, happy laughter after a while causing Tim to open his eyes again. Before him, the sand was no longer empty. Broken and caved in sandcastles littered the sand before them.

At the edge of the water, two forms toed the water nervously. Laughter erupted again causing Tim to sit up. He had to swallow the lump in his throat, croaking back the tears that threatened to spill over when the two looked back at him.

The oldest, a girl, looked back at him with a gleeful smile on her face. Her brown hair fell past her shoulders. He could see her blue eyes shined back at him even in the distance. She took his breath away. Had he seen her before or was it only in his dreams?

The youngest, a boy, looked back at him curiously. His blonde hair was short, his brown eyes filled with questions and wonder. It almost felt like he was staring at a reflection of himself from his youth. No, this boy wasn’t damaged. He wasn’t fearful as he looked back at Tim.

“Lucy,” he whispered never taking his eyes off of the kids standing at the seashore. If he looked away, they’d be gone. He wanted all of this. He wanted Lucy; he wanted their kids. He wanted these kids. They looked too much like his visions of their kids not to be real. “Lucy,” he said again peeking over at the chair she was supposed to be in only to find it empty. His eyes moved back to the shore quickly to find it empty, the kids gone.

Tim shot to his feet, ignoring the budding pain in his side. He looked around frantically for any sight of Lucy or the kids. He had to find them. He needed to find them. 

There was no trying to keep himself relaxed. His hurried breaths turning into gasps once again as pain took over his sense. “Come back,” he yelled into the emptiness, to nobody. “Lucy…please,” he cried as he dropped to his knees in the sand. Tim hung his head in defeat as his calls and pleas went unanswered. She was gone. The kids were gone. He was alone. Trapped in this world, trapped in his dream with no escape.

He fell to his back, his misty eyes looking up at the sky as it changed from a welcoming, bright blue to a dark uninviting, cold grey. “I’m sorry, Lucy,” he muttered as a lone tear rolled down his cheek. A stream of white light parted the gloomy skies above him. It was pulling him in. It was inviting, it looked so peaceful. It was growing harder to fight and Tim didn’t want to fight anymore. He had lost Lucy, he’d lost their imaginary kid, he’d lost it all. There was no point in fighting if he had already lost the war. “I’m sorry Luce,” he muttered again as he gave way to the light.

_Tim_

_Tim_

_Tim, can you hear me?_

It was the firm grip on his arm that pulled him back. Hands pushed against his shoulders forcing him to stay flat against the thin mattress. Others held his legs prohibiting them from kicking. His eyelid was forced open, a ball of light moved side to side slowly before he was allowed to shut his eye again. The process repeated again with the next eye.

“Mr. Bradford, we need you to calm down,” a voice instructed through the chaos as hands continued to press him against the thin mattress. His body felt heavy and numb as he tried to lift himself up despite the hands holding him down. “Tim, can you hear me?”

He tried to answer. He tried to open his eyes, but it was like they had been sealed with superglue. His voice trapped inside as he tried to reply. Then it was over as a flood of serenity entered his system. His taut body being forced to relax. The hands left his body except for the one that stayed on his arm.

“What was that? Is he okay,” he heard her worried voice ask as her hand shook against his skin.

There was a brief moment of silence that followed her question. He could hear beeps as someone pressed a button close by. “His vitals look good,” someone answered on the other side of him. “There is no record of him being allergic to any of the medicine, but we can run a few tests to make sure this was not an allergic reaction to something. In my opinion, I think we can take it as a sign that he’s starting to wake up. His body is still traumatized and healing, but it is safe for him to wake up.”

“Is he in pain?”

“That’s hard to tell right now. We have him a small dosage of propofol to keep him lightly sedated. He should be able to hear you if you wanted to talk to him and try to keep him calm as the sedative starts to wear off. He could wake up in minutes or hours, it depends on him.”

The silence that followed briefly interrupted the sounds of the door sliding being opened and closed gently. A chair rolled across the floor for a second before he held a hand on his arm again. Yet this time, the hand wasn’t firm, it was soft and comforting. “You’re starting to scare me, Tim,” Lucy started slowly.

‘I’m sorry.’

“It's been days.”

‘Days? How could it have been days? It felt like it had only been a few minutes, barely over an hour. Days?!’

“I’m tired, Tim,” she said with a sad huff of laughter. He knew she was crying, it was a sense that he adopted years ago. His suspicion was confirmed when a water droplet landed on his arm. “You fought just like you promised and you’re winning. I know you’re tired, but I need you to wake up.”

‘I’m trying, Luce. I’m trying,’ he tried to tell her, but his thoughts only echoed in his mind.

“Angela says this is the worst it has ever been. She’s a wreck. She can’t sleep. She is barely eating, which isn’t good for the baby. Oh, you didn’t know that. Sorry, that was probably something she wanted to tell you, but you’re going to be an uncle again. I see the way you are with Luka, and I can’t wait for the days when we have our own.”

‘Angela’s pregnant? Wow. Our own kids? Wow, even the thought sounds surreal. I can’t wait, babe.’

“So, wake up. We’re almost past this. We’re almost done. I love you.”

“Love…you too,” he managed to get out just loud enough for her to hear. His voice a harsh rasps as it left his dry throat.

Lucy was up straight in the chair in an instant. “You’re awake,” she exclaimed unable to hide her excitement.

Tim hummed in response; his head turned towards her slightly. His eyes cracked open just enough to see her beside him. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, with no make-up on her face. She wore her comfy clothes of sweatpants and one of his old t-shirts. She didn’t have to try to make herself look cute for him, to him she was beautiful no matter what.

Tim patted the space beside him signaling her to climb up. “Are you sure,” she asked hesitantly pushing herself up out of the hospital chair. Tim only looked at her in response. “Okay,” she whispered slowly climbing into the small hospital bed beside him careful not to hit the two bullet wounds in his side. She saw him grimace slightly unable to hide the pain from her and Lucy was about to bail and just let him get the rest he needed, but Tim’s arm around her locked her in place. Her head rested on his uninjured shoulder as she listened to the steady beating of his heart.

“I love you,” she said in a whisper.

“Love you too,” he muttered in response turning his head towards her. The smell of her conditioner gave him the comfort he needed to slip back into unconsciousness.

The dreams stayed away. He couldn’t change the past, no matter how much he used to want to. He had everything he ever needed in his arms and their future was looking brighter than the sun.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


End file.
